They would be right if the assumption is that lazy is the same as low calorie burn. In such a situation, a lumberjack that puts in 30 hours a week would be less lazy than a programmer who works 60 hours. Until that is settled, the debate of lazy vs hard working will continue for a long time.

Did ANY of you follow the link I posted to the BBC? That points out that western obesity has more impact on world food supplies than population growth!

How odd. I haven't had to wrestle any obese people to get any of my dietary staples: free-range eggs, grassfed beef, wild salmon, pastured pork, raw milk, coconut oil, butter, and oodles of organic vegetables and fruits. But now that I think about it, there was a lady who seemed pretty ticked that I held her up while pawing through every bacon package to find the best one. She was super buff though, must've been some kind of weight-lifter with those huge arm muscles.

No, I'm someone who's actually spent time with international development orgs and understands that the complexities of the global food supply are much bigger than whether someone in North America eats an extra-large portion. One of the reasons for obesity is the ready availability of cheap, grain-based (mostly corn-based) calories in North America, which is supported in many ways by massive subsidies. Those subsidies then affect the global food market, making it difficult for farmers in other countries to make a living off their crops and forcing people into poverty and dependence on food aid, particularly when climate conditions cause droughts that make it impossible for people to grow their own food and poverty means they can't afford to buy it. That food aid is often manipulated and blocked by corrupt governments and warlords, leading to famines. Most famine isn't about lack of global resources; it's caused by political and economic circumstances that deny people access to food even when it's available. If aid workers can't get into a country because it's unsafe for them to be there, then people will starve, and all the virtuous self-denial on the part of well-meaning Westerners won't change that.

The oversimplification of the geopolitics of food in your posts is ridiculous, and I think you need to do more research than just reading a sensational BBC article and thinking you know the whole story.

Oh, oops, I almost forgot:

YOU'RE the troll.

“If I didn't define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive.” --Audre Lorde

No, I'm someone who's actually spent time with international development orgs and understands that the complexities of the global food supply are much bigger than whether someone in North America eats an extra-large portion. One of the reasons for obesity is the ready availability of cheap, grain-based (mostly corn-based) calories in North America, which is supported in many ways by massive subsidies. Those subsidies then affect the global food market, making it difficult for farmers in other countries to make a living off their crops and forcing people into poverty and dependence on food aid, particularly when climate conditions cause droughts that make it impossible for people to grow their own food and poverty means they can't afford to buy it. That food aid is often manipulated and blocked by corrupt governments and warlords, leading to famines. Most famine isn't about lack of global resources; it's caused by political and economic circumstances that deny people access to food even when it's available. If aid workers can't get into a country because it's unsafe for them to be there, then people will starve, and all the virtuous self-denial on the part of well-meaning Westerners won't change that.

The oversimplification of the geopolitics of food in your posts is ridiculous, and I think you need to do more research than just reading a sensational BBC article and thinking you know the whole story.

Oh, oops, I almost forgot:

YOU'RE the troll.

Stop being all reasonable and stuff. The appropriate response is "I know you are, but what am I?" :P

http://cattaillady.com/ My blog exploring the beginning stages of learning how to homestead. With the occasional rant.